SHENZHEN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China lost to Austria 3-0 in the second round of the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship Division I Group A on Monday, remaining the sole team yet to score a single goal.
Austria struck first in the ninth minute, as captain Anna Meixner circled from behind the Chinese net to the right and lifted a quick shot into the top corner.
Anja Trummer sent a pass from the right wing to Emma Lintner, who finished from close range to double the lead, in the 28th minute. China, which suffered a 4-0 defeat to Slovakia in the first round, had several opportunities during a power play but failed to force them home.
In the third period, Austria's Annika Fazokas added a power-play goal, assisted by Meixner and Theresa Schafzahl. China created a few chances in the offensive zone but struggled with decisiveness and was unable to grab the opportunities.
Despite the loss, 19-year-old Chinese goalkeeper Zhan Jiahui delivered an outstanding performance by making 44 saves. "Although my save rate was over 90 percent, I feel that as long as it was not one hundred percent and I did not help the team to win, then I haven't done enough," said Zhan.
"After reviewing yesterday's game video, we were well-prepared for today's match, and we performed better than yesterday," she added.
Earlier on Monday, Slovakia defeated France 4-1, while Denmark defeated the Netherlands 6-3.
China will have a pivotal clash against the Netherlands on Wednesday, while Denmark will take on France, and Slovakia will meet Austria. ■
